Operation: POWERFUL
by Procrastination Fairy
Summary: They should've had a bond thicker than blood. They should've been able to overcome anything. But "should" and "did" are two completely different things, and Kuki would know. Companion fic to I Know. Directly connected.
1. Chapter 1

**I've had this storyline in my head for a while and I decided it would be a good companion fic to **_**I Know**_**. It's in a very different format, because I needed to try new style. I hope it's pretty obvious who is telling the story. By the way, I've been asking for co-writers for my stories. Please contact me if you'd like to help. Thank you!**

**Operation: P.O.W.E.R.F.U.L.**

**Past**

**Operatives'**

**Work to**

**Eradicate**

**Reasons**

**For**

**Unusual**

**Lies**

"So we all agree there's something different about Kuki?" An approving chorus rises to my voice. Abby nods from the back of the group. As usual, one person is missing from our group.

Kuki Sanban.

Even though we sit together at lunch, Kuki always leaves school with kids from the Elementary. It seems that the Japanese girl avoids us outside of classes.

"She seems to know more than we do," I continue, "So, until we can figure out what she's hiding, we'll be creating a temporary organization. We'll have codenames, duties, and a hideout." Fanny raises her eyebrows.

"Codenames? Aren't you a little old to be playing sp- Ow!" Fanny holds her arm and glares at the now seemingly innocent Wally.

"We could call it the… Teens Next Door," he suggests. I purse my lips.

"Sure, let's call it that." I turn around, "And what about codenames?"

"Numbers?" the bored Patton offer. My eyes brighten.

"Yeah! Abby, you'll be 5. Hoagie, 2. Wally, 4. Nigel, 1. Fanny, 86. Patton, 60. I'll be 362." Even without a particular pattern, the numbers seemed to fall in place. "And finally, a hideout…" My hand rises to my mouth.

"I have an old tree house at my house," Nigel informs me.

"Great! We'll meet on Thursdays." I turn the corner and group dispenses.

* * *

The days come and go. When I awaken, I smile brightly, almost to rival Kuki's usual smile. Or at that's what I think it was. I've been looking at photos from my childhood. Kuki is always smiling in every photo. And I mean a "I'm-always-happy-let's-go-play-rainbow-monkeys!" smile. These photos are strange. Looking at them makes me want cry. I pick up a photo. Kuki, donning a yellow t-shirt that spells "Girls" in blue letters, is smiling smugly at a soaking Wally, who has a green "Boys" t-shirt with orange letters, and whose face is completely red. The other nearly wet boys are frowning to the side, and Fanny, Abby, a blonde girl, and I are hi-fiving on the other side. I nearly laugh out loud. I think what happened might've been funny…?

I dig in my closet. Eventually, I pull out the opposing t-shirt. I turn to the back. Names (?) have been scribbled on the back. Under "Numbuh 3", in the same hand-writing, "Rainbow Monkeys, Rainbow Monkeys, we love you!" was scribbled on, with "Numbuh 4"'s "cruddy Rainbow Dorkies". I pull the t-shirt on. Surprisingly, it stills fits. I finish changing and head downstairs.

"Hey, Harvey," I greet while I grab the Rainbow Munchies out of the cabinet.

"Where did you get that shirt?" he asks, stunned. I turn around, knocking my hair out of my face.

"My closet," I stifle a laugh, "Why? Is something wrong with it?" He glares at me.

"I… just don't think you should wear it," he answers nervously, glancing side-to-side.

"Why not?" I feign innocent. He gets really mad for the silliest of things.

"Like I'd tell you, _Teenager_!" he yells and runs off. I groan. He always says that like he's disappointed in me.

* * *

Classes fade by as I daydream about our meeting. My stomach flurries in excitement, and every once in a while, the corners of mouth turn up. I wave (over excitedly, I might add) at every one of my friends I see in the hall. Nostalgia overflows me, but I can't place where I've felt like this before.

Lunch arrives and I sit down, smiling like crazy. Kuki turns to me and freezes, looking like she wants to cry.

"Wh-where did you- wh-why-?" she stutters. Wally puts his hand on her.

"You okay, Kooks?" She frowns and stutters more.

"Um, er, y-yeah I j-just think I-I need to- um, I… I'm not hungry," she picks up her tray and runs out of the cafeteria. Glances are exchanged around the table. I put my hands on the table to raise myself.

"I'll go check on her." I walk out of the cafeteria.

She's sitting against the wall crying.

I don't approach her. I don't think I should. She mutters to herself, things like "Why?" and "It's not fair!"

She seems… broken, like a little porcelain doll.

I walk away and sit back down.

"I," I drag on the word, "think we should leave her alone."

* * *

"_That's_ the treehouse?" Fanny gapes at the enormous tree in the middle of the house. To tell you the truth, I'm surprised myself, but I don't let it show.

"Yes, but I haven't been in it as far as I can remember," Nigel explains. He grabs the rope ladder. The rest of us follow suit. Nigel pulls me through the hole, seeing as I'm the final one. Fanny is already pushing the door open.

"Eep!" she flies back. Lasers shoot off around them, moving in a cage-like pattern, "Nigel, shut it off!"

"Teenager alert."

"I don't know how!" Nigel is sprawled on the ground, the lasers daring him to move.

"Do something, fool!" Abby snaps. Nigel crawls inside and begins pressing buttons.

"Voice activation code, please."

"Um… um…"

"Access denied. Secondary scan initiated." A finger-sized scanner slides out. Nigel cautiously places his finger down. "Access granted." The system disappears and we all relax.

"What…" Hoagie pants, "Was that?"

My look seems to frighten them even more. Even though I can't feel the tears on my face, I choke out, "I… honestly don't know."

* * *

After we calmed down, and I initiated a search of the treehouse. ("You don't anything about the place, we don't either," I had said.) I'm walking around the treehouse. Frames are hanging up, empty, on the wall.

I come across a door. I try to turn the knob.

"It's stuck," I whisper blatantly. I pull for a while. The door swings open, knocking me to the ground. I stand up, disoriented. I walk in and look around. 5 rooms, marked 1 through 5. I peek in each one, only entering the room marked "3". Stuffed animals are everywhere, all with "3" painted on them. I dig underneath them to a find a hand-drawn picture of younger-looking Kuki and Wally. I walk out and lock the door. I don't tell anyone else what I saw.

"Did you find anything, Rachel?" Everyone else is back. Oops. I blush.

* * *

"Er… not really…" I lie. Nigel has taken me to a meeting room. Why is there a meeting room in a treehouse? And what about the bedrooms…?

"Okay, the perimeter seems safe." At his words, the window bursts open. A man with toilet paper all over him enters.

"What the…?"

"Adult Alert."

"So you return!" he cries. He looks at Wally, "My greatest enemy, Nu-" A boot falls from the ceiling, knocking him away.

"Um…" I step up to the podium, "Moving on, we should assign our first missions. 4, you'll follow Kuki and her friends after school, but only until they split up. We need to hear what they're saying. Keep track of where they walk. We want a basic route. 86, I want you to find where she goes a lot. Mark it on a map. 1, you should try to find out more about the treehouse. 5, 2, try finding some tools that might be useful. 60, I want you to interrogate my brother, and when we find out who they are, her friends too. We should all talk to her more often. Sit by her in class, say hi in the halls, whatever it takes to gain her trust better. I want status reports by Tuesday. Is everyone ready?" Smirking and nodding were planted on their faces.

"Meeting dismissed."

* * *

It's Saturday, and I'm relaxing at home.

Well, maybe relaxing isn't the right word.

I'm looking at the old pictures.

In almost all of them, I'm with kids I don't recognize. And, when I do, they're wearing the most ridiculous clothes I've ever seen. I don't remember anyone wearing anything as silly as that. Come to think of it, I don't remember _any_ of my childhood…

The door creaks open.

"Rachel, honey?" My mom enters and sits down. "Why are you looking at these old photos?"

I ignore her question. "Why am I 12 in most of these pictures?" Mom frowns.

"You went to boarding school. Last year, you suddenly decided to stay home." Hmm. That didn't sound right. I picked up a photo.

Bingo.

I run downstairs, knocking into Harvey on the way ("Don't touch me!"). I'm slipping on my shoes when the phone rings.

"McKenzie residence, Rachel speaking."

"_Oh, good. Listen, Rachel, I found something I think you'd want to see in the treehouse_." I bite my lip. Did he find…?

"Nigel?" I ask, careful not to use his codename. Harvey starts to gag, and I glare at him. "Just a second. Harvey, stop it! Okay, when should I come over? I have something I want to show you too."

"_Now. See you soon_!"

"Yeah. Bye!"

"When'd you start hanging out with Nigel Uno?" Harvey asks skeptically.

"Since when have you known Nigel Uno?" I reply.

Harvey grins evilly. "Since you had a crush on him when you were 10!" He sticks his tongue out and runs back upstairs.

I'm sure I'm blushing. I check the mirror to see if it's gone before I leave.

I stuff the photo in my pocket and begin the walk to Nigel's house.

About halfway through, I see Kuki.

She jumps behind a bush.

"Kuki? Is something wrong?"

"No!" she cries, "Not at all. Bye, Rachel!" She runs away. I brush it off and finish the walk.

I arrive, and Nigel is waiting for me outside.

"C'mon!" He pulls me up the ladder.

"Could you speed it up any?" I joke.

"Of course!" He pulls onto his back. I am sooo lucky he can't see me.

He suddenly stops, and lets me slip off of him.

"Whoa…" I smile and start to shake him. "This is amazing! Uh…what exactly is it?" I ask, spinning one of the wheels.

"I think it's the main power source. When I first walked in, there were hamsters everywhere. Like, 2000 of them." I roll my eyes. "They didn't seem to like me though."

"Hamsters? Hammy-hammy-hamsters?" He laughs at my choice of words. Suddenly, something in my pocket moves. "Huh?" I look down. A brown-and-white hamster is tugging the photo out. "Oh." I pull the photo for him. Upon seeing Kuki, he squeaks.

"She's my friend," I tell the hamster. He nuzzles me. "Is this the power room?" He squeaks in response. "Could you start it up?" He runs off and other hamsters appear, climbing into the wheels. The lights flicker on.

I stand up. "Nigel, this is what I wanted to show you. Look at that… thing on my head." He leans closer to me to see the picture.

"Rachel…" he began, staring at the plaque above my forehead. "362" was written on it.

"I'm beginning to think this may run deeper than we realized."

**I wanted to make this longer, but I figured this would be a good ending for the first chapter. **


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm not sure how long this story will be, especially since I'm not used to writing stories with long chapters, but the story's main plot may seem different after the climax (or at least what I'll consider the climax). Fanny will probably seem the most OOC, but decommissioning has altered her personality slightly. I'm still looking for co-writers.**

We stand silently. Something in my mind is screaming "Stop, you shouldn't do this!" Ignoring that, I turn back to Nigel.

"I mean, if this number means something important enough for to subconsciously remember it, then maybe the other numbers mean something too. And maybe there are other things we overlooked that could mean something! And if there's something in this photo, we should look at all of the photos because-" Nigel jerks me out of my rant.

"Calm down, Rachel. We'll never figure anything out that way." I close my eyes and exhale shakily.

"I'll see you later, Nigel. I think I…" I pause and glance blankly at the floor.

"Good-bye," he acknowledges my uncertainty. "and if you want my advice," I look back at him one more time, "Don't think about it."

* * *

For most people, not thinking about it meant focusing on whatever came as second nature to them. Unfortunately, thinking comes as a second nature. And jumping to conclusions.

So I think about it.

And I realize that the other numbers must mean something. And I must have heard them before.

_If Kuki had a codename_, I think absently_, it would be 3._

3.

"3," I accidentally say.

"Correct, Miss McKenzie." I blink. I realize I'm in class. Fanny nearly laughs when she sees my expression.

"What were you actually thinking about?" she whispers.

"Nothing," I hiss back.

"Miss McKenzie, is there anything you'd like to share with the class?" my teacher asks impatiently.

"N-no, ma'am!" She turns back around. I return to my thoughts.

3.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

60, 86, 362.

Where do we fit in?

_There must be more Numbuhs_, I immediately think …_Numbuhs… not numbers… Numbuhs._

I groan. My head hurts. Worse than any other headache I've ever had.

"Rachel?" I hear Fanny ask, "Are you okay?" I don't answer and her voice becomes more urgent. "Rachel? Rachel! Ms. Robertson, there's something wrong with Rachel!"

* * *

"_I think this would be good." My voices states firmly. I can't see anything. Where am I?_

"_But, Numbuh 362-sir, your decommissioning is coming up soon—" I don't remember hearing this voice before…_

"_Exactly why I need to approve of this now. I was the top spy before I became Supreme Leader. If I was to remember, I might turn some Top Secret information to the teenagers. At least if I did I would have to suffer for it." Spy? Supreme Leader? What's going on?_

"_Maybe you should think about it more, sir."_

"_Hm. Call Sector V. We'll see what they think about it. Their birthdays are coming up too." Sector V… sounds… familiar._

"_Sir, yes, sir!"_

* * *

"_You requested our presence, Numbuh 362?" Nigel. That has to be Nigel._

"_Yes. You see, our scientists have developed new technology for the decommissioning device to try to cover its… hole."_

"_Hole?" Wally is here too?_

"_Shut up, Numbuh 4! You mean… there's a hole in the decommissioning process?" Kuki… why is she here?_

"_Yes. A horrible one. It can make the process impermanent. The technology will cause a painful shock when they try to remember. But they aren't sure if we should use it. What do you think we should do?" _

"_It's sort of a temporary patch, right? They need to fix the process." Hoagie too?_

"_Of course. But I don't think we can have the possibility of teenagers running amuck with our information."_

"_Numbuh 5 agrees." Abby… is speaking in third person? That's strange._

"_Maybe you should ask Numbuh 86. It_ is_ her department after all."_

"_Good idea, Numbuh 3…"_

* * *

"Rachel? Rachel, wake up." I stir. I open my eyes.

"Numbuh," I state uselessly, staring blankly ahead. All of my friends are sitting around me.

"What? Are you okay, Rachel?" Kuki asks, half concerned, half trying to draw attention from what I said.

"O-oh, yeah! Absolutely fine!" I try to convince them, even though I know I'm a horrible actress.

"Alright, all of you back to class," the nurse says. We all start to walk in the halls.

"Can I talk to you alone, Rachel?" Kuki asks. I look around. No one else seems to notice the harshness in her tone.

"Sure…" I answer nervously. Everyone else walks on. Her eyes glow murderously. She balls up her fists and steps forward.

"Look, Rachel, I don't know what exactly you were thinking about, but don't do it again," her voice grows pleading. She seems to debate whether to say more, and then she turns around and begins to walk to her own class as quickly as possible.

But I, being the too curious girl I am, ask, "Why?" She twirls back around, her eyes shining from tears. It's all too familiar, as if I've seen this time and time again.

"Please, Rachel, just believe me because I don't want to have to— Just remember, I can't always help you out of these things. Not that you would know exactly what you go yourself into though…" she splutters out, "Listen, you may not understand what I mean, but… don't aim for the moon." She runs off nearly crying.

"The moon…" I repeat. I shrug.

I try to ignore her, but as I walk back to class my mind once again begs me, "Listen to her… She knows best."

* * *

"What did Kuki want?" Fanny asks on the way out of school. Abby looks at us, clearly interested in what I have to say.

I bite my lip. I don't think Kuki would want anyone else to know what she said… but then again we are investigating what Kuki's hiding. I lean in and whisper, "I'll tell you at the next meeting, 'kay?"

Abby eyes me nervously. I avoid her gaze.

"See you all Thursday!" I call. I step outside.

"Oh, by the way, Rachel, Hoagie and I gave Wally a voice recorder. He should have some recordings by Thursday," Abby adds before walking off.

I stand still. After some questioning glances, I turn and hurry home.

"Rachel, honey, are you okay?" Mom runs to me. I raise my eyebrows. She glances at me and elaborates, "I heard you fainted in class today."

"Mom, I'm fine. I guess I just didn't get enough sleep," I make up my story quickly. She gives me one last worried look and begins washing the dishes. I walk into the living room. Harvey's doing his homework. I place my homework next to his. He notices me, and stands up and glares.

"Kuki talked to you, didn't she?" Harvey asks, "I'm warning you, if you don't listen to her, she's not going to be able to be so nice. She knows her duty, Rachel. No matter how much she doesn't want to, she will do anything if she has to." I look at him questioningly.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't explain!" he nearly screams, as if I should know. "You know, sometimes I hate you, Rachel!" He runs up to his room. I snatch my homework off of the table and follow him up the steps.

"She was right. We _did_ need that technology." I stop at his door.

"I don't know! …We need to keep thinking about. Numbuh 3 can't do anything! Let's just leave it alone for now. We'll figure it out later." I hear something snap shut. Tip-toeing, I continue to my own room. I lie down on my bed.

I stare at the light.

"What really happened? What is my life all about?" It doesn't answer and I sigh.

* * *

"_I can't believe you're turning 13. It's not fair! You're the best!" I can tell its Harvey, although he sounds younger._

"_It's someone else's turn now. You have to accept the fact that tomorrow I'll be Rachel, Numbuh 363." …what? That doesn't make any sense._

"_What do you mean? You already are Rachel!"_

"_No. I'm Numbuh 362, Supreme Leader of the Kids Next Door. I stopped being Rachel when I decided to be an operative. I'll continue that tomorrow…" I hear myself sob._

"_I-it's okay… You can tell me anything…"_

"_It's not fair! Sector V's been passed on to stupid just-graduated operatives who don't deserve to hold on their legacy! And Numbuhs 3 and 4 don't ever seem mad about it! Numbuh 86 hasn't been quite right since Numbuh 60 went and soon my generation will be almost completely gone!"_

"_I know… you all were the best." I sniffle._

"_That's the problem. So many of them were great. If they banded together, they could take down this entire organization... But let's not think about that. You know, two days after he was decommissioned, Patton asked Numbuh 86 out." _That_ may be important. Note to self, ask Patton who he's asked out._

"_What'd she do?"_

"_She said, 'You stupid boy, why in the world would I go on a date with _you_? And if you ever mention this again, I'll toss you half-way to the moon!' and she started to walk away, but then she turned around and said, 'Maybe some other time.'" I start laughing as if that's one of the funniest things I've ever heard._

"_I can't believe that!"_

"_I know, I know! But don't tell her, okay?"_

* * *

I wake up and turn over in my bed. The clock reads "2:37". I don't feel tired, so I reach under my bed and grab my laptop. I sign into my email account.

_U not tired?_ pops up on the screen. I glance at the screen name. Nigel.

_Nope_ I type back.

_Good. I want 2 talk about wat Kuki said. Do u think it had nething 2 do w/ our mission?_

_Yeah. She basically blabbered on and on about how we shouldn't b doing this, altho I don't think she nos wat we're actually doing, and how she can't always protect us, as if she really could. And then she said "Don't aim 4 the moon."_

It takes him a minute to reply. While I wait, I check the clock. "2:49".

_The moon…_

_That's wat I said! Neway, tell u more the meeting. My brother's suspicious…_

_K, bye!_

I shut it and flop back.

Is this a _typical_ teenage life?

* * *

"Goooood morning, everybody! Or… I suppose it's more like good _noon_, now," Kuki cries as she places her tray on the table. "Guess what?" The groggy pair—Patton and Fanny—groan and turn away. Obviously, they just came from Mrs. Ezro's class, so Kuki rolls her eyes and continues, even though only Wally and I are the only one's here who will listen.

"Today's my birthday!" I smile.

"Happy birthday, Kuki!" Wally shifts nervously.

"Ah wasn't s'posed tah getcha anything, was Ah?" She scans his actions cautiously.

"Noooo… why?"

"No reason," he answers.

She drops it and begin to work on her homework, or so I think.

But as I dump my tray, I find a note that reads, "_I can't help you anymore. If you get in trouble, you're on your own_."

* * *

As I start to walk home, I see Kuki's friends. They're clinging to her, making her sweater soaking wet. I step as close as I can without being noticed.

"It's not fair, Kuki!"

"We don't want you to—"

She's obviously trying not to cry, but tears are welling up in her eyes.

"Everyone before me has done it. One day you'll have to do it too. Lee, you're lucky. You'll forget your friends early on and you won't have so much lying to do. Sonia, you've seen how hard it is. I want you to try to prepare yourself," she closes her eyes and tears slip out. Letting out a small sob, she grabs some pictures from her bag, "H-here. I won't be needing this anymore." They continue to cry. Kuki begins to pull them, even though they're obviously supposed to lead her.

I turn away.

Why… does that make _me_ want to cry?

* * *

I ran home.

It may seem stupid, but I did it.

I cry.

I don't know why, but I cry.

Then I remember.

_Lee and Sonia._

_Lee and Sonia, Harvey's friends._

_And that means Harvey knows what's going on._

"Harvey!"

I run down the steps.

"I didn't do anything!" he immediately yells. I roll my eyes.

"I know, I know, I want to talk to you." I grab his arm and pull him outside.

"What's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"I can't explain! You know!" His eyes widen in realization.

"I told you I can't explain! Why can't you listen for once, Rachel?"

"I'll listen when someone wants to tell me what's going on!"

He stares at me.

"Harvey—"

"I don't want to talk to you!"

He walks away. I reach to my neck and open my locket. Harvey and me. Being happy.

What happened?

…not like anyone will answer me anyway…

**I finally finished Chapter 2. A lot of this was hard to write, but I've already got ideas for the next chapter. Hope you liked it!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to Brianna for reviewing. Sorry for the late update. This was on my laptop and it broke!**

I storm inside.

Plopping down on the couch, I turn on the TV.

The doorbell rings. I glance at the TV to see if it came from there. Sighing, I stand up and open the door.

"Hi, Rachel!" he says before I can ask any questions. He hisses, "Just go along with it." Dad looks up from the newspaper.

"Rachel, who's this?" Lost for words, I glance at Nigel.

"I'm Nigel, sir…" he stalls. After thinking for a moment, he "explains", "We're… going on a date." I feel my face heat up and I nod. Dad stares at him.

"Okay… Bring her home by 5. We have somewhere to go." Nigel nods and grabs my hand.

He leads me to the park.

"Do you want some ice cream?" he asks.

"Um… sure." He walks off and comes back with two popsicles. I take the blurpleberry one.

"How much—" I begin.

"I'm paying. We're on a date, remember?" I gaze at my shoes.

_Oh, look… I'm wearing the zebra striped ones today…_

"Why did you faint in class?" I look up and lick my popsicle.

"I don't know. But while I was unconscious, I think… I remembered something." He eyes me questioningly through his sunglasses.

"'Remember'?" I inhale, trying to figure out what to say.

"Yeah. I remembered something from before I was 13, although it was probably only a couple months before my birthday. I was talking to someone about 'decommissioning' and I called for 'Sector V'. I said something about 'their birthdays coming up too' and then the person I was talking to said, 'Sir, yes, sir!' and everyone kept calling people 'Numbuh' and then it had a number after it. And you know when you talked to me last night?" He nods so I continue, "Well, it happened again. I told my brother that 'tomorrow I'll be Rachel,' except I called him 'Numbuh 363' and then I explained that I was, 'Numbuh 362, Supreme Leader of the Kids Next Door' and then I said 'After Patton got decommissioned, he asked Numbuh 86 out'. Anyway, she got mad at him at first, but she told him some other time and now I'm just confused!" He laughs at me.

"Calm down. Can you still remember these 'memories'?" I nod. "So we'll talk more Thursday. C'mon," he stands up, "Your Dad wants you home." Wordlessly, I follow.

We step onto my porch. He looks at me and says, "I'd like to do this again some time," and walks off. I freeze.

Nothing can move me.

Not even my popsicle pooling at my feet.

* * *

"Hey… Rachel?" Virginia asks as I walk past her. She looks at her boyfriend. He shrugs.

I briefly pass Nigel, and speed up.

Taking my place in Ms. Robertson's class, I lean in and whisper to Fanny, "I need to talk to you after school, okay?" She nods, uncertainly.

"Is everything okay?" I nod. Fanny smiles half-heartedly.

"Oka—"

"Good morning, class…"

* * *

"Hey, Rachel! What'd you want to talk about?" Fanny walks up to me.

"Wait until we're a little farther away from the school," I whisper. She nods and we begin walking.

"Can we talk about it _now_, Rachel?" I nod.

"Yesterday, Nigel came over to see why I fainted in class, but my dad saw him." ("Slow down, Rachel.") "So he said we were going on a date, and it seemed sort of real because he paid for my Popsicle, but we only talked about mission stuff. And when we got back to my house, he said 'I'd like to do this again sometime.'" I explain.

Fanny smiles, "Sounds like he likes you."

"W-what? N-no, that can't be right," I protest.

"What other explanation do you have?"

"B—bu—"

"If that's all, I have homework, Rachel, and I'd like to get it done before our meeting." Fanny walks to Nigel's door and begins to explain to his mom.

Could she be right?

* * *

"Order," I say. Nobody responds.

"Order," I exclaim louder. Nigel climbs in, but no one notices.

"Hey!" I yell. They all quiet down.

"Niiiiiiiiiigeeel! Tell your friends to be quieter!" Nigel's mother calls.

"I bet you could hear her if she was whispering," Fanny tells Patton. I shoot them a look.

"Yes, Mum!" Nigel calls back.

"I honestly thought they were done with that treehouse," I hear her murmur.

"Okay, on to business," I begin, "4, what did you find?"

"Well…" Wally begins, "They actually change the way every time so Ah wasn't able to figure that part out. But Ah have a recording…" He starts to say something else.

"What?" I press.

"Well… Ah found out that all of us… live in the same neighborhood… _including_ Kuki."

I nod. "That's something to take note of. 86?" Fanny hands me a map.

"It's mostly parks, candy stores… and the Elementary school playground," she hesitates, but informs me. I give her a "hm" in acknowledgement.

"60? Um…" I add before he speaks, "I've already remembered the boy and girl are Lee and Sonia. They're Harvey's friends." Hoagie gives me a look.

"That's weird… They're Tommy's friends too…"

Patton shrugs. "Didn't learn much. Won't talk."

"5, 2?"

"Abby couldn't find nothing'." Everyone stares at her.

"The other day, Abby's sister told her she always used to speak in third person, and it just sorta became a habit."

Hoagie on the other hand… "You'd be amazed! I looked around my room, and found all sorts of things! And blueprints too! They all use something called 2x4 technology."

"Good. Stock up on what you can find and try to build more. 1?"

"I found a training room, a living room, a kitchen, you name it! There were a couple doors I couldn't open"—I try not to blush in guiltiness—"but I tried the computers. I found some files that, unfortunately, don't make sense, but everything else—including internet—is restricted."

"And what have you been doing for the past week, Rachel?"

"W-well, when I fainted, I remembered something. I didn't learn much, just a damaged process called decommissioning that we may have gone through… a-and the numbers we use… were used before… except they had 'Numbuh' in front of them and Kuki's numbuh was 3 and-" I groan, but continue, "Apparently the process can be neutralized, but it gives you headaches or something…"

"That's enough, Rachel," I hear Nigel say distantly. The room comes back into focus.

"M-meeting dismissed," I say, but no one leaves. Instead, they start exploring. I pull my legs toward me, trying to suppress the natural feeling of nervousness and worry from this mission… But I honestly don't need to. The excitement from even watching this is already overwhelming.

"It's been way too long since I've done this," I grin as I pick up my backpack and wave my goodbye to Nigel, "…am I ever going to stop blurting this out?"

* * *

"Hey, Rachel!" Virginia greets while I slide my books out of my locker, "Was something wrong yesterday? 'Cause…" I shake my head. You see, Virginia and I have always (or, at least, as long as we've been teenagers) had sort of a connection that made us become friends automatically.

"Okay! Oh, by the way…" Virginia turns back to me, "A couple of my friends and I are going to the roller rink this weekend, and we wanted to know if you wanted to come." I bite my lip. Her eyes widen, "You can invite some friends too. The more the merrier!" I hold my hands out and start counting. _1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 60, 86…_ I gasp.

"So, 7 people? Not counting you?" Virginia cuts in. I nod. "Okay! See you Saturday!" I hurry to Pre-Algebra, which, luckily, is just 2 doors from my locker.

I plop my book on my desk and murmur, "Why did I skip so many numbers?"

* * *

"Rachel?" Fanny stops me in the hall, "What did you mean by remembering?" I look at her while I walk in and sit down.

"Okay…" I whisper, "Do you remember any of your childhood?" She shakes her head.

"But…" she trails off.

"I've started to remember things from a couple months before my decommissioning-13th birthday," I correct myself.

"I-" she begins, "I still don't understand."

"Come over after school and I'll try to explain better."

* * *

I show her the pictures and explain the small scraps I remember.

She freezes.

"What's wrong, Fanny?" I ask. I think I might've remembered something." I raise my eyebrows.

"Nothing big," she assures me, "Just… Patton asking me out 2 days before my birthday." I hop up.

"You're Numbuh 86, head of the decommissioning-" I stop.

"What?"

"I… honestly don't know," I answer sheepishly. Fanny laughs.

"You're insane, Rachel."

* * *

"Hi, Rachel!" I stop scribbling the last bits of my science homework. Kuki smiles at me, even though it seems a bit fake. Her hair is pulled back for once, and she's wearing something other than green and black.

"Ku…ki? What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" she replies a bit too happily, and then glances down. She snickers at me. I pout at her.

"Didn't finish your homework?" I nod sheepishly. She looks at the clock and bends down.

"Okay, this one is bone marrow… and this one is spongy bone…" Ms. Stross comes in. Kuki plops down in the seat next to me. I glance to my right to see Fanny.

"Alright, students, get a piece of paper out; we'll be taking some notes." Shuffling overcomes the classroom. She pulls the screen down to show our notes. I begin scribbling as fast as I can as she explains to students who are apparently unable to comprehend words. I realize most people are still only halfway through that page. I put my pencil (my _mechanical_—yay!—pencil) down. I look at Kuki.

She's sitting innocently—as if Kuki could sit any other way—but her elbows are planted firmly on the desk, so if anyone bumped into her, she'd hardly move.

I turn my gaze to Fanny.

I know she had 2 brothers, but her position is oblivious to anything around her. Her green eyes stare at the board in ignorance—pure ignorance. I look around the room and see that the majority of them are the same way, although only a few are nearly completely unaware like Fanny.

In fact, the only one I can really see is Kuki.

Her eyes are violet—something I've never seen before—and hardened with years' worth of knowledge, as if she knows more than us and always will. The notes page turns and I begin writing again.

But now I know something new.

No matter how much she wants us to think otherwise, Kuki knows what's going on, and she's helping it along.

…and why don't we remember anything from our childhoods?

* * *

"What in the world are you doing, Rachel?" Harvey asks me as I pull my eyelids apart.

I consider my options, ignoring the obvious, and answer, "Looking for ignorance." He opens his mouth.

"You know what?" he tells me, "I don't even want to know."

I look back in the mirror. The brown shows scars that won't ever be able to heal, but none as bad as Kuki's. I look at my hands. A couple scars. I lean down to see my legs.

There are a lot of scars that can be answered easily by me falling off my bike of something. I pull my hair away from my neck. The long, thin mark shows in a way that no logical answer could be applied. And I'm oddly… proud of it.

Even though I know it's useless, I follow Harvey. I point at my neck.

"How did I get this scar?"

"You fell off your bike near a rosebush." I nod and leave. I picture my friends. They're all scarred too. Kuki's scared, pathetic face enters my mind. I realize she's worried, because she's been tortured somehow.

…if decommissioning erases our memories, can it really erase all the scars?

**In case you didn't notice, that was a small 23/35 reference. I've never read much about them, but I decided to add it in anyway.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow… It seems like the first readers don't read my story anymore. But I guess I should be grateful that people like my story. Marissa is Numbuh 21, and Kiki is Numbuh 22. This story is just about half over! I have to say, this is one of my favorites of my stories. By the way, are there any characters you'd like to see? Don't forget to criticize me too! I'm trying to become a better writer, like the ones who get 200 reviews for their stories, so I need to know what would make it better. Thanks!**

"Rachel!" Virginia waves me over. I walk over.

"Hi."

She moves away slightly to reveal her friends. "You remember Bartie, of course, and this is Kiki and Marissa." I wave at them.

She scrunches her eyebrows. "Where are your friends?"

"They're meeting me here." As soon as I say that, Fanny and Patton walk in. I gesture them over, and they sit down to lace up their skates. I look at my own feet (Zebra shoes! Again!).

"I'll be right back. I need to get some skates."

I wait forever. It's like everyone has size 6 feet.

Of course I know this isn't true. But honestly, they can't be out of _all_ 6s.

"I finally found some!" the overly peppy, most likely cheerleader, teenager tells me before she hands me my skates.

"Thanks." I skate back to the group to find that everyone except Kuki has arrived. Kiki and Marissa shift awkwardly. I open my mouth to tell them I'll watch for her when she enters, panting. She glides over to us quickly, despite her fatigue.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to watch Mushi," she rotates her hand vaguely to brush some sweat off of her forehead and begins gasping again. Wally examines her actions and snickers. He skates up behind her and pulls her ponytail to get her attention. She inhales in surprise, with a tinge of recognition, and snatches her hair away from him when he starts twirling it. He scowls at her and she sticks her tongue out in response. I resist the urge to laugh.

"So what'd ya do, Kooks? Skate all the way here?"

"Maybe I did," Kuki says as she pushes herself forward that indicates a yes from girls like her. I frown slightly. Her house isn't too far from here. Wally reaches for her hand and they begin skating around the rink.

"C'mon, Rachel," Virginia tugs me away from the entrance. I catch myself on the wall before I slip, but Virginia keeps falling. I turn my head and wince, but I don't hear a bump. I look back to see that Bartie's caught her. I leave the couple alone and begin skating around the rink. I see Nigel holding himself up in an almost feminine way. I giggle and slide over.

"What's wrong, _Nigie_?" I ask, making sure to the nickname that bugs him more than anything, "Never skated before?"

He grimaces.

"You _haven't_?" My blatant words slip out before it sinks in. I laugh, "Honestly, this is just like the beach… Come with me."

I hold out my hands. Nigel hesitates.

"Well? Would you rather fall?" He sighs and grabs them. I lead him to a more secluded corner.

"What should I do first?" I skate to his side.

"Push your foot back." He complies. "Now the other foot."

"Is this right?" Nigel asks as he moves a little bit. I contemplate it.

"Not quite. A little less rolling with this foot and more of pushing this foot."

He reattempts this feat. He slips and I jump forward to catch him.

My face heats up. Our faces are… so… close. I scoot back.

"U-um, t-try again."

Nigel moves too fast and is barely able to use his brakes.

"What's the use, Rachel? I won't be able to learn," he sulks as he straightens himself on the wall. I move forward so I can speak.

"No. You're not leaving this rink until I teach you how to skate, and that is a direct order!" Nigel waits a few seconds, then looks at me with a small smile.

30 minutes later, Nigel and I (he still can't skate all that well) pass Virginia.

"Oh! Hey, Rachel, we're all sitting down to get something to eat." I look around. No one I know is skating any more.

"Okay. C'mon, Nigel." We sit down just as the waitress comes back.

"Sprite, please," I tell her when she asks what we'd like to drink. She turns to Nigel.

"Root beer." Everyone else orders their food while we pick ours out.

The food arrives and Kuki glances behind me.

"I'll be back in a second." She stands up and leaves. I push myself to see, but Nigel taps me and I sit back down.

Kuki returns a little while later with something I've never seen in her before.

Pure determination.

* * *

"Bye, Rachel!" Trina calls from the door as I pick up my stuff, "See you next week!"

Trina is my only friend in Student Counsel. I wave.

I re-pile all of my items once I'm out the door. Wally and Abby are starting to walk home too.

"Hey," I call. Abby looks up.

"Abby didn't know you were here."

"Student counsel," I answer. I don't get a response.

We pass the park.

"Hey," Wally asks, "Is that Kuki?" Abby and I look.

"I… I think so." I walk forward and they follow me.

I gasp.

"That's Lee and Sonia." Abby scrutinizes.

"Who?" I open my mouth to clarify, but I can't.

"Friends…" I finally murmur. I move my hand to see better and realize the ground is mud, even though we haven't had much rain.

"Numbuh 84!" Sonia yells from a tree, "I'm out of lemonades!"

"What am I supposed to do about it?" Lee answers her and throws a plastic lemon. Kuki jumps quite a bit away from and spots us.

"Kuki? Come back here!"

"Cree," Abby whispers.

"Just a second."

We all (okay, maybe, just me knocking them) flop back to hide better.

"What are you doing here?" she snarls.

"W-we saw you and-" She shakes her head.

"Get out of here!" I scramble to my knees.

"Why can't you tell us what's going on?"

Kuki freezes. It seems quieter, as if the background noise has been blocked by a glass wall. Her eyes well up.

"Go," she nearly sobs as she pushes me.

"Kuki!" Said girl glances behind her shoulder.

"I'm coming."

* * *

"'Morning, Rachel!" Kuki waves as she passes my locker on the way to her own.

"Hi," I answer as loudly as I can.

I shut my locker and go to class.

The day passes.

School is bland.

"Hi, Harvey," I greet as I enter. My bag ends up next to the mi

"Hi, Rachel! Want to play Mario Kart with us?" Sonia asks. I muffle a laugh. It's funny how Sonia can still be so girly even though most of her friends are boys.

"Sure," I answer.

"I'm Princess Peach!" Sonia declares as she selects that. Lee and Harvey choose Luigi and Mario, respectively. I click Rosalina.

Harvey moves the remote to select all of our characters.

"No, no, no, wait!" Sonia interrupts, "I want to be Baby Peach!"

Harvey tries to begin again.

"Or maybe Daisy… or Baby Daisy…"

In the end, Sonia is Peach.

After I lose (12th place ["Stupid rainbow track."]) for the 5th time, I toss the Wii remote down and knock the popcorn, which flips up in the air to snow corn.

"Hey, Rachel," Sonia begins, grabbing a kernel from above her, "Why do you hang out with kids?" Everyone freezes. Harvey gives Sonia a sharp look and Lee looks at her nervously.

"Well," I consider, "You are only 3 years younger than me. And you'd talk to a 7-year-old, right?" They shrugged.

"Hey, want to play tag?"

The kids look up awkwardly. Sonia shakes her head ever so slightly.

"C'mon, I'll be it!" They look down.

"Look!" Sonia cries after quietly flipping through channels, "_Rainbow Monkeys 5: Believe in Love_ is on!" The colorful animals appear on the screen and sing the familiar tune. I wince and hop up and walk to the stairs.

"I'll see you all later."

I climb 3 stairs and turn back around with my ear pressed to the wall.

"_Why_ would you ask that?" I hear Harvey yell.

"I-" Sonia tries to defend.

"You can't just say stuff like that! Numbuh 3 told us-"

Sonia squeaks. Harvey sighs and stops his rant.

"Look, I know… but you can't get her back."

"B-but, maybe…"

"Sonia, don't you think I want my sister back too?"

My eyes widen and I fall back without making too much noise. I shuffle to my room. My ears ring. I can't think.

I sit on my bed and open a drawer. I pull out the pictures again and grab a random one in the stack. I stare at the brown-eyed blonde. I see familiarity in her.

She's confident. She's a leader. She's smart—in every meaning of the word. She's outgoing. She's strong. She's careful. She's friendly. She's harsh. She's in charge. She's calculating. She knows what's going on.

She's Numbuh 362.

She's not me.

She's not me.

_She's not me._

* * *

"Hi, Rachel," Fanny whispers as loudly as she can in the library. I give a half-hearted smile and return to my book. I flip a page, my sweater rubbing my hand as I do. I finger the design on the cover

"You okay?"

"Yeah," I lie. I feel sick. Lies. How many lies have I been told? How many have Kuki told? How many have I—no, Numbuh 362—told? She nods and turns her head.

"That's a good book." I agree silently. I pull my legs close to rest my book on them, but I can't concentrate. I stare at the clock. Lunch ends soon, and I only have 4 more periods then. All I hear is the tick-tocking of the clock. I look around. Kuki's in a corner, searching for a book she's told me she wants, but is apparently always out. She sighs dejectedly and moves back to her lunchbox. I resist the urge to walk back to my classroom.

The bell rings. I am much too happy to leave.

Everyone piles up at the door. I end up next to Kuki. A group of boys pushes me.

"Sorry," I mutter when I bump her. She gives a gesture in acceptance, but doesn't look at me.

Kuki glances over her shoulder to see Wally and falls behind. Fanny pokes me to show her book.

I nod and smile.

Just like anyone else would.

* * *

I count the sidewalk squares (or rectangles, now that I think about it).

My head turns.

"Huh?" I ask myself, "What was that?" I shrug and realize I've lost count. Sighing, I try to kick the sidewalk, miss, and send my flip-flop flying. I hop over to grab it and hear a high-pitched squeak. I perk my ears and hear it again. I look around. Kuki's leaning against the off-white paint of her house, her head buried in her black skinny jeans with her striped green-and-white sweater sleeves rubbing against the rough fabric.

"Kuki?" I call quietly. She looks up and slumps down a little more. Her cell phone lies abandoned next to her, buzzing almost frantically. It vibrates constantly, and Kuki reaches for the Rainbow Monkey necklace she never takes off.

"H-hi, R-Rachel…" she greets. I slide down next to her, my backpack sloshing around.

"Wh-wha… Why are you crying?" I ask. Kuki wipes her eyes on her hands again. The tips of her sleeves are soaking wet, but not tinged with make-up, I note, and she kicks her sneakers across the wet grass, staining soles green.

"I just don't want to do this anymore," she whispers and sobs. Her words hang in the air. She looks at me, her eyes shining with the same childlike wonder she'd always had.

I don't ask what she doesn't want to do. I don't ask why she doesn't want to do it.

"Me either," is what I say.

And I bury my head in my knees and I start crying too.

**I finally know exactly what's happening! Are any of the characters OOC?**


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter may seem boring... then action-y... then boring again, but it's somewhat important. I'm so excited for the next chapter because it's going to be fun (for me, at least).**

I watch my fan spin.

'Round. And 'round. And 'round.

I blink because it hurts my eyes.

The air tickles my face. I pull my blanket up higher, but it feels hot. I push it back down before I begin to sweat. I'm cold again. I pull it back up. Hot. Sighing, the blanket falls off of me and slips to the floor.

"Ugh," I groan and flop onto my stomach, my face in the pillow.

"_I just don't want to do this anymore._"

I wince and stand up. It's so quiet. I can hear my feet on the hardwood floor. My hand lingers on the doorknob.

"…_anymore_…"

I turn the knob, ignoring the squeaking, and stomp down the stairs to block out the words.

"I'm going out," I tell Harvey. Harvey drops the controller frantically and rushes up to me. I snatch my jacket off of the coat rack and slip on my flip-flops, the closest shoes to the door, because I don't want to walk back upstairs.

"W-why? T-there's no need to go out!" he tries to persuade me and tugs on zipper.

I sigh. "I'm just going out, okay?"

"B-but… O-okay," he agrees reluctantly, "Just be careful."

"Yeah, yeah," I shrug and walk out the door, slightly happy to hear the slam. I shiver and pull my jacket closer. My phone falls out of the pocket and skids across the ground.

"H-huh?" I murmur, "O-oh…" I grab the phone and hold it in my hand. I watch my breath appear in the March air. I gasp at the gunshot and take off running down the sidewalk. The noise grows louder and I hear voices. I reach the entrance of the Elementary playground. Kuki grips a weapon of sorts tightly at her side and scans Sonia and Lee harshly.

"Wha-?" I whisper and dive behind the electrical box before anyone notices I was there. I scramble to my message box and type as quickly (and messily) as I can.

**To: Abby Lincoln, Nigel Uno, Patton Drivolsky, Fanny Fulbright, Wally Beatles, and Hoagie Gilligan**

**From: Rachel McKenzie**

**Body:**

**Cum 2 the Elementary playground. Bakway. PLZZZZ!**

***Rachel XP***

I press "Send" and let the phone slide in my hands.

I huddle with my knees and wait for the beep of an incoming text.

"Please," I murmur to the air, "Please." The shots keep going. It amazes me how much they sound like real gunshots. My stomach twists and I toss my head onto my knees in attempt to rid myself of that thought.

"Don't cry," I order myself, "Don't cry." And then I begin sobbing anyway, sobbing until it's uncontrollable. I hear a distant beep and wipe my eyes. I open the messages to hear they're coming and relax a tiny bit.

The tears come back and blur my vision. Many tear-streaked minutes later, I feel myself being lifted up.

"…achel," I hear British voice try to call me, "Rachel!" Nigel shakes me, but I continue crying and muttering. I wish I could stop; it's embarrassing, but my face burns for the small amount of me that's still thinking clearly.

"…ah… wah… ki-kids."

"Rachel! Listen!" I turn my head and stare at him blankly, vaguely realizing the rest of my friends are here too. "Tell us what's going on."

"B-ba… fight," I muster out. Nigel nudges me forward and I weakly point at the gate.

They all stare stunned at the entrance until Sonia notices me and hops off of the kiddie playset. Everyone watches nervously as she drops her weapon on the ground in a flurry of worry and confusion. I stare distantly, and I'm sure my eyes are red. Kuki eyes us wearily and grips the trigger as tightly as she can without shooting. A teenager near her questions her actions, but she brushed them off and taps her toe in frustration.

"Rachel, Rachel, th-this isn't what you think! We-we're just-" Sonia tries to explain. An older girl who I can dimly place as Cree smirks and raises her weapon at Sonia in her weak moment. Lee's eyes widen and he opens his mouth to call her name.

"So-" He's just barely said the first syllable when the shot is fired. This turns Kuki's head. She hesitates for a second in worry before diving forward to take the hit. Despite the large gash developing on her shoulder, she points her weapon at Cree sharply and glares.

"_Don't_ hurt her," she orders harshly, enunciating every word as stridently as she can. Cree scowls and then calls the rest of the teenagers away. When the last one disappears, Kuki lowers the weapon. I barely notice it's begun to rain, even though my hair's clinging to my face. I instinctively pull my jacket around, even though it won't help because it's wet, and shiver because of that. Sonia leaps forward and hugs her legs. Kuki pulls the fraying sleeve of her jacket up, but it slips back down. She stares at her hand, which is covered in blood, although the rain is washing it away, and she doesn't even flinch. Everything becomes a clutter of voices.

"Kuki!"

"What just happened?"

"What's going on?"

"Do you have any idea what trouble you've got me in to?" The last sentence spins my head to Kuki. Nigel pulls me to him protectively, but I jerk away.

"Wha- What are you talking about?" I croak.

"But, no!" she continues, "You just had to be here! You go against everything I tell you!" We stare at each other. Kuki sighs and tosses the weapon on the ground. Sonia stares up in admiration and grins.

"That was great, Numbuh 3!"

And with that, Kuki falls to the ground sobbing.

* * *

Kuki cried until the spaceship (what else can I call it?) arrived. When a pilot tugged on my arm, I opened my mouth to say something about Kuki or ask what's going on… You know, I don't even know _what_ I was going to ask. But the pilot just said, "I know."

I closed my mouth. My stomach turned. Those were the first words I heard Kuki say…

Either way, that's how I ended up at the space station (or as Kuki referred to it, "Moonbase"). I stare out the window as the glowing bright red tree-like plant swaying outside from the kids swinging on the branches.

All of us (including Sonia, Lee, and Kuki) are scattered across three couches placed around a round table. Wally and Hoagie are occupying themselves with a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, Patton and Fanny are just talking, and Abby and Nigel are staring into (please excuse my horrible pun) space. Kuki has pulled her legs on top of the couch.

"W-why are we waiting?" I ask. Kuki glances up at me.

"…not my job to 'splain," she says, but is muffled by her jeans. Sonia gives her look.

"Well… I guess it wouldn't hurt," she replies reluctantly.

"We're waiting for them to decide whether our actions are Level 1 or 3."

"Why not Level 2?"

"Because we either committed a minor offense or major offense, depending on who listens to it," Kuki explains gently, ready to continue to elucidate.

"R-really?"

"Don't worry," Sonia assures, "I'm sure it'll nothing." No one answers. Sonia glances at Kuki, the obvious optimist, for help. She returns the look, biting her lip, and opens her mouth barely wide enough to make a sound.

"Maybe…" Kuki begins, "Maybe they'll-" I turn my head to hear what she has to say, but she clamps her mouth shut. I gesture for her to go on. Kuki grips the messily made macramé necklace hanging above the Rainbow Monkey necklace. She accidentally knocks the back of the pendant and I can faintly hear the tune of the Rainbow Monkeys theme song.

"Maybe," she tries again, her eyes glimmering with hope, a small amount of hope only Kuki could use in any situation. Her eyes darken again and she turns away, "Hey, since they're probably… do you want to know what's going on?"

I stare at her. Kuki blinks impatiently. I push myself up and glower at her.

"Are you serious? I've been waiting 3 weeks to find out what you all are hiding! I asked you, I've watched you, I've _organized a group _to find out! We've figured out who you talk to, we've got spy weapons, we've searched a freakishly high tech _treehouse_! And now you're just going to _tell_ us!" Kuki lifts her left hand and fiddles with her necklace again, her bangs covering her face as she gives her soft little giggle.

"Yeah, pretty much."

I shake my head. "I just don't get it! You've worked so hard to cover whatever it is that's going on, and then, out of nowhere, you just decide to tell me! Well, then…" I shrug wide-eyed, "Go on! Tell me."

Kuki waits a moment and laughs, shutting the small walkie-talkie like object I just noticed she was holding up. Even though all signs of worry have disappeared from her, she grips it with desperation, her lime green nails seeming to slice into it.

"Maybe," she murmurs.

"Maybe."

* * *

Only a couple minutes later, an 8-year-old invites Kuki into another room. We wait half an hour.

"Ugh," I toss my head back, "What are we even waiting for?" Most of them shrug. My eyes widen in realization of my mistake.

"She didn't even tell us!" No one answers. Fanny has fallen asleep on Patton's shoulder. Wally keeps glancing at the door Kuki disappeared into, despite my under-the-breath comment of "She won't be coming back for a while."

I exhale and take out my phone.

**New Note**

**Facts:**

**Kuki, Sonia, Lee, and Harvey are hiding something.**

**The secret, hereafter referred to as S, includes something about numbers, spies, weapons, and "Numbuhs" (and possibly lemons).**

**We, being Wally, Nigel, Fanny, Patton, Hoagie, and Abby, hereafter referred to as the Operatives, may have once been a part of S.**

**Operatives excluded from S by a process most commonly called "decommissioning".**

**Decommissioning takes place on, or around Operatives' 13****th**** birthdays.**

I stare at the screen. It's stupid. Any ordinary teenager would say it's stupid.

But I've never been ordinary.

Kuki exits and smiles as she plops down on the couch.

"Don't worry," she laughs cheerfully, "Now all we have to do is wait and see."

"Well, I for one have had enough waiting," I mutter.

Kuki gives a pained smile and tries to laugh to cover it up.

"Yeah, well, get used to it…" I twitch.

"I can't get used to it!" Kuki shrugs and shivers.

"Why do they have to keep moonbase so cold?" she mutters.

"It's not that cold," I say. Kuki rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, but you practically spent—" she stops suddenly and closes her mouth.

"Why are you always doing that?"

"Doing what?" she asks in the same innocent voice she's always used, except now it seems taunting and slightly cruel, as if Kuki will laugh at you at any minute. Her face cracks a smile and she giggles.

"I hope this gets done soon. I'm missing the re-run of the new Rainbow Monkeys movie," Kuki complains. Sonia sits up, prepared to tell her all about the cartoon when Wally scoffs obnoxiously as can be.

"Why do ya need to see that cruddy Rainbow Dorkies movie anyway?" Kuki's eyes glow with fire. She stands up and throws Wally against the wall.

"Don't," she snarls, "You ever call Rainbow Monkeys cruddy again."

Wally, stupidly, replies, "What if Ah do?"

Kuki lets him slip to floor, muttering something like, "Watashi wa hontōni anata o nikumu…"

Sonia's pocket buzzes and she pulls a small yellow circular object out. She looks up at Kuki. Kuki takes it from her, scans the screen, and stares into space, wanting to smile, but to shocked to even move. The corners of her mouth twitch and she speaks.

"They… they said yes."

**I tried to get Rachel more in character, but you have to remember, part of their personality comes from the missions. They'd be different if they were never in the Kids Next Door. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright, I just remembered how confusing the timeline is. I Know took place around mid-March, because the latest birthday for any of the operatives would have been in early March to go with my story. Operation: P.O.W.E.R.F.U.L. begins in late April, meaning Kuki's birthday could be from there to early May. All in all, school is ending soon. By the way, do you think the sequel should include the summer or pick up at the beginning of 8****th**** grade? If you know any of the Delightful Children's real names, please tell me! I tried to check, but…**

"They said yes! Numbuh 83, Numbuh 84, can you believe it? They said yes! I'm so excited! This is so great!" Kuki babbles on about whatever they had been debating even though no one is listening to her.

"She used to do this a lot, you know," Sonia pipes up. Lee nods wordlessly, like always. Kuki finally realizes the no one has heard her rant. She bounces around, grinning as wide as she was in all of the pictures.

"Isn't it great?"

"Great," Sonia nods.

"Cool," Lee agrees.

Kuki's smile widens, if possible, and she bursts out laughing.

A boy, about Sonia and Lee's age, comes out and immediately addresses Kuki.

"Numbuh 3."

"Sir, Numbuh 197, sir!" she stands up and greets as soon as the words have left his mouth. Even now, I can see all of this—whatever this is—is what makes Kuki what she is. I nearly laugh. It's funny seeing Kuki salute someone 3 years younger than her.

"Explain what's going on to them." Kuki nods.

"We," she begins, "are at the Kids Next Door moonbase.

"The Kids Next Door are a group—and by group, I mean an organization. There are 2 or 3 sectors in each town, and then moonbase and arctic base operatives. As I was saying, a group of kids who keeps adults and teenager from taking over. We call it adult tyranny," she flashes a smile, "There are several major offenders from both age groups. Fanny, your dad is one. We call him Mr. Boss. And Abby, your sister, Cree, is in charge of the Teen Ninjas.

"There are other villains of course. Father, Nigel's uncle, the Delightful Children—oh, right. Those are your cousins, Nigel. We have some rogue kids too. James McGarfield, Sandy, Valerie, and… and my sister, Mushi. We keep them from ruining our rights.

"And to do this, we had weapons and other things. We made these using 2x4 technology. 2x4 disguises everything as common household items or toys or other things of the sort," Kuki takes a lemon from Sonia, "Like this lemonade.

"To keep our secrets from getting to our enemies, when an operative turned 13, they were decommissioned. Decommissioning erases all memories from their time in the KND, generally from age 7-13. They still remember school and some stuff like that, but they forget who their friends are, et cetera.

"We all had codenames called 'numbuhs'. I'm Numbuh 3, Lee's Numbuh 84, Sonia's Numbuh 83, Harvey's Numbuh 363, and so on…

"In our sectors, we all had certain 'jobs' so to say. I was the Diversionary Tactics Expert. The next highest level is Sector Leader. And then the non-sector operatives like the decommissioning squad and the ones who train the cadets. The highest one is the Supreme Leader, like Numbuh 197.

"Sonia, Lee, Harvey, and Fanny's brother, Paddy are from Sector W. I was too, for a few months."

Even though this doesn't make much sense, I speak up.

"Where… where were you before that?"

Kuki grins. "Sector V," she beams.

"And what does that have to do with us?"

"You were all operatives too. Save your questions for the end," she adds when mouths open, "but you were decommissioned and now… Okay, question time!" Kuki's hands slap together and she waits. The questions flood together.

"What sectors were we in?"

"What were our numbuhs?"

"What were our specialties?"

"How do the weapons work?"

Kuki's eyes widen.

"Um, wow… Um… Nigel, Hoagie, Wally, and Abby were all in Sector V with me, a-and you were Numbuh 1, sector leader, Numbuh 2, 2x4 technology expert, Numbuh 4, hand-to-hand combat specialist, and Numbuh 5, second-in-command/spy, respectively. Patton, you trained cadets at the arctic base, and you were Numbuh 60. Fanny and Rachel were at moonbase. Fanny was the head of decommissioning, and Rachel was the Supreme Leader. And I, uh, don't know how the weapons work. I never cared," she shrugs. The questions continue and she begins shaking. Kuki glances around for help.

The boy dubbed "Numbuh 197" steps forward.

"Numbuh 3's explained enough for our purposes today," Numbuh 197 looks at the rest of us, "Not all operatives were decommissioned, as you can see with Numbuh 3. Those operatives became spies in the Teen Ninjas."

"And it was working just fine, 'till you guys stepped in," Kuki chirps.

"But Numbuh 3 had an idea to add another branch to the Kids Next Door. An organization for teens. They could take on the missions that were a little too dangerous for our sectors. They would have a similar system, use the same codenames and weapons and all that stuff."

"The only problem is it would take too long to retrain all of the operatives," Kuki remarks.

"If you can handle a mission, you can be in this organization," Numbuh 197 explains.

"So," Kuki continues, "Do you want to do it?"

* * *

We're waiting for our mission. Kuki's explaining what we're supposed to do, but I don't really care. Kuki finishes and we still haven't heard anything. I sigh. Wally's head snaps up as if he's just remembered something important.

"Hey, are there any toilet villains?"

Kuki's head flips back around.

"Yeppers. The Toiletnator. He thinks—"

"Numbuh 4's his worst enemy," I say, and everyone else says something similar in unison. Kuki laughs and nods.

"Yep! Hey, wait— You're calling people by numbuhs again! Yay! This might help your memory come back, 'cause we can't have operatives running around without knowing a lot of the big things that have happened in the KND!" Before Kuki can speak again, something beeps. She turns around and types something on the huge computer. Kuki then pushes herself away from the computer to let the rest of us see what's on the screen.

**Mission Information:**

**Location: Middle School Football Field**

**Time: 4:15 PM**

**Enemies: Father, Delightful Children**

**Motives: Delightfulizing Student Council**

**Mission: Find delightfulizer and obliterate.**

"Hmm…" Kuki murmurs, then turns to us with a raised voice, "Who's on the Student Council?"

I raise my hand by my head.

"Only Rachel. Oh, well. We only need one anyway. Okay, Rachel, what classes do the Delightfuls—all of them—have with you?" she asks. I bite my lip and scrutinize. I can't figure out who she's speaking about. Nigel walks up to me.

"My cousins. Bruce, David, Ashley, Lenny, and Sarah Uno," he reminds me.

"Pre-Algebra and English."

Kuki lifts her fingers and visually counts the assignments.

"Ask them for help on tomorrow's homework. Make up things you don't understand if you have to. Does anyone else have some sort of practice after school?" Kuki continues. Nobody answers, causing her to sigh.

"Um…"

"I'm helping Ms. Vinlero finish some scenery for the school play. I'll distract Father by dropping some paints and brushes. I'll make sure he helps me pick them up, which gives the rest of you long enough to grab the delightfulizer. We'll have to carry some weapons in case we have to fight. Which reminds me, I have to figure out what weapons would be best for you. Come with me," Kuki stands up and walks out the door. She leads us to a secluded room with a lot of white mats. Kuki walks to the center of the room and makes the rest of us sit on a wall. She motions Wally forward.

"Hit me."

"What?" he exclaims.

"Hit me," she repeats, "C'mon, I won't get hurt!" Wally cautiously punches her reluctantly, and she grabs his wrist and tosses him to another side.

"Woah…"

Everyone murmurs quietly at Kuki's burst of strength.

"Pretty strong for a little girl, isn't she?" Fanny asks. I nod and watch with interest. Wally seems to be having a harder time than he anticipated, but Kuki is struggling too; I don't think she cares for fighting all that much. As a last resort, she elbows him in his face. Wally gives her a look and Kuki shrugs sheepishly in response. As he struggles to regain his footing, she kicks his shoulder. In frustration, he knocks her away, making Kuki tumble over in a clumsy somersault. She blocks Wally's next attack and jumps over him, grabbing a bazooka shaped gum filled gun and a wooden contraption.

"Try fighting me the G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A."

Kuki tosses the gun-thing to him and he begins shooting at her. She dodges nearly every shot before she rushes up to him. Her S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. slaps his cheek, leaving a bright red mark that's nearly unexplainable. He winces at the pain, giving Kuki time to run to the other end of the room. After he recovers, he begins to chase her. Kuki is much faster than him though. At one point, she even runs into his back, before she turns the other way, only flicking her head back to stick out her tongue. Wally can't even compare to her amazing speed. Kuki runs around him and then hits his arm with the S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R.

After about a hundred laps, she stops.

"Wally fights hand-to-hand, so a weapon like the G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. which slows the enemy down is best. I work with speed, not strength, so my weapon has to be lightweight, and I can get pretty close to my target, which is what's required for the S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R." Kuki explains as she rubs a very thick white cream on Wally's face and arm, immediately making the bright red welts disappear.

She does this which each of us. I end up with a C.H.A.N.G.E.M.A.K.E.R.

"I like this," Fanny grins, waving her M.U.S.K.E.T. at me.

Kuki shoots us a look to silence us. "If we do have to fight, I sneak up and get the delightfulizer. Then I'll take it back to Moonbase to be disposed of. Here," Kuki tosses some weapons that we heard were called B.O.N.G.O.S.C.O.P.E.s and K.L.A.W.N.C.H.E.R.s to those who will be waiting outside, "Use these to figure out when to take it. And everyone… needs… one of these," Kuki pitches earpieces to everyone, "_Never_ take them off." She flashes her own as she orders that.

"Let's go get one of the ships to take us home. We have a big day tomorrow."

**The next chapter is the last! I'm starting to plan the sequel, but I still can't figure out if it should be told by Rachel, Kuki, someone else, or be in third person point of view. Please answer my poll! Also, do you think it should just show through 8****th**** grade or go all the way through high school? Through high school would be bittersweet, but 8****th**** grade would end pretty happily.**


End file.
